Diwali Celebration - A Grand Event of Fun and Friendship

Sujata Banerjee Dance Company are taking over The Dance Floor at Sadler's Wells East on Saturday 17 October for a Diwali celebration that runs from 12pm to 6pm. It's a free day, open to everyone, and it's curated by the company itself, so the whole thing is built around their speciality: South Asian dance. The day opens with rangoli for the whole family from 12pm to 3pm — the traditional floor art that's meant to bring good luck and positive energy — and from there it's a steady stream of dance sessions. You'll get Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Bhangra, Garba and Bollywood, so there's plenty to choose from whether you're just curious or you've danced these styles before. There's also storytelling about Hanuman and workshops for all ages, and the whole afternoon builds towards a DJ finale.

Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is the biggest Indian festival, and it's all about light winning over darkness. The word Deepavali means 'row of lamps', a tradition that goes back to the return of Lord Rama and Queen Sita to Ayodhya. The rangoli that kicks off the day is part of that same tradition.

The day is curated by the Sujata Banerjee Dance Company, which artistic director and choreographer Sujata Banerjee MBE founded in 1985. They've spent decades promoting South Asian dance in the UK and internationally, and Banerjee herself is one of the country's most respected Kathak artists. She's a choreographer, educator and mentor who moved to the UK in 1982 and helped develop the ISTD Kathak syllabus. In 2019 she was honoured with an MBE and a Lifetime Achievement Award.

It's a free event, open to all, running from 12pm to 6pm on Saturday 17 October at The Dance Floor, Sadler's Wells East.